Twitch broadcasting on Xbox One not ready for launch

Microsoft today announced that the ability to livestream video from the Xbox One, via Twitch, will unfortunately not be available at launch.

The streamlined, built-in Twitch and Ustream broadcasting capabilities of the PS4 is one of the stand-out features, and after it was first revealed at Microsoft's E3 conference, most expected it would be available for the Xbox One on day one. Microsoft now estimates that the functionality will roll out in the first part of 2014.

On the other hand, the Twitch viewing app for the Xbox One looks well thought-out and feature complete including achievements, snap functionality and Kinect voice and gesture controls.

The Twitch experience on Xbox One will enable Xbox Live Gold members to view the full content catalog from tens of thousands of PC & console broadcasters on the Twitch platform. Twitch on Xbox One will have the most robust viewing experience on the market for any console, utilizing features such as Snap mode and instant switching.

With Snap mode on Xbox One, you can do two things at once on the same screen. You can watch Twitch videos while you play your favorite game, watch TV or enjoy another app. Xbox One instant switching lets you quickly jump from one activity into Twitch using your voice, simply by saying “Xbox, go to Twitch.” You can alternate between viewing Twitch broadcasts with any other gaming and entertainment content on Xbox One. By accessing the Twitch app channels in the Xbox OneGuide, you can see what’s new in the Twitch catalog and can personalize your viewing experience by bringing any Twitch app channel into your OneGuide Favorites.

We love the content that gamers can watch on Twitch so much that we added the ability for spectators to earn media achievements — only on Xbox One. Think you’ve seen all the videos Twitch has to offer? Watch through the night to earn the Night Owl achievement, or join 100,000 viewers simultaneously watching a broadcast on Twitch to earn the Standing Room Only achievement. There will be 10 Achievements at launch with the Twitch experience. Here’s what you’ll need to do to earn each:

Watch one hour of live video on Twitch to become a Newcomer

Watch 10 hours of live video on Twitch for Competitive

Watch 100 hours of live video on Twitch for Best Viewer

Watch one hour of live video on Twitch channels that have less than 10 viewers to be the Hipster

Watch 10 hours of live video on Twitch channels that have less than 10 viewers and become theTalent Scout

Max Bandwidth is received by watching a single channel on Twitch for more than eight hours consecutively

Around The Clock is exactly that, just watch at least one minute of live video on Twitch in each hour of a full day

Prime Time, simply: watch a total of 10 hours of live video on Twitch between peak viewing hours from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., on a weekday

We know the ability to instantly broadcast gameplay is something the gaming community is excited about, and we are too. We are working to ensure the initial Twitch on Xbox One broadcasting experience meets the expectations of the Twitch community, so while this feature won’t be available right away, we’ll let you know as soon as it is ready. Our goal is to deliver it during the first part of 2014.